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Afghanistan earthquake: Death toll crosses 1,400, authorities say [Update @post#36]

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At least 1,000 people have been killed and more than 1,500 injured after a 6.1 magnitude earthquake in southeastern Afghanistan, officials have said.

The quake struck about 27 miles (44km) from the city of Khost, close to the country's border with Pakistan, and was at a depth of 31.6 miles (51km), according to the US Geological Survey.

"The death toll is likely to rise as some of the villages are in remote areas in the mountains and it will take some time to collect details," interior ministry official Salahuddin Ayubi said.

The majority of the fatalities were in the province of Paktika. Footage from the area, near the Pakistan border, showed victims being carried into helicopters to be airlifted from the area.

Its director-general, Abdul Wahid Rayan, wrote on Twitter that 90 homes were destroyed in the province of Paktika and dozens of people are believed to be trapped under the rubble.

"A severe earthquake shook four districts of Paktika province, killing and injuring hundreds of our countrymen and destroying dozens of houses," tweeted Bilal Karimi, a deputy spokesman for the Taliban government.

"We urge all aid agencies to send teams to the area immediately to prevent further catastrophe."

It comes amid an economic and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control in August last year and the withdrawal of US-led international forces after two decades of war.

Its already fragile economy, heavily dependent on aid, has been crippled by Western sanctions on its banking sector and billions of cuts in aid.

Tremors were felt over a range of around 310 miles (500km) by about 119 million people in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said in a tweet.

They extended to the Afghan capital Kabul, as well as Islamabad in Pakistan, according to witness accounts posted on the EMSC website and by Twitter users.

"Strong and long jolts," one witness from Kabul wrote on the EMSC website. "It was strong," said another witness from Peshawar in northwestern Pakistan.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties in Pakistan.

Afghanistan has a long history of earthquakes, many in the mountainous Hindu Kush region bordering Pakistan.

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake in 2015 killed 399 people in Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan and India.

SKY
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Deeply grieved to learn about earthquake in Afghanistan, resulting in loss of innocent lives. People in Pakistan share the grief & sorrow of their Afghan brethren. Relevant authorities working to support Afghanistan in this time of need.</p>— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1539500855803658241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Was this earthquake that happened 2 days ago as i felt it in islamabad it was 2-3 sec one
 
Kabul: A powerful earthquake struck a remote border region of Afghanistan overnight killing at least 1,000 people and injuring hundreds more, officials said Wednesday, with the count expected to rise as desperate rescuers dig through collapsed dwellings.
The 5.9 magnitude quake struck hardest in the rugged east, where people already lead hardscrabble lives in a country under a humanitarian disaster made worse by the Taliban takeover in August.

"People are digging grave after grave," said Mohammad Amin Huzaifa, head of the Information and Culture Department in hard-hit Paktika, adding that at least 1,000 people had died in that province alone.

"It is raining also, and all houses are destroyed. People are still trapped under the rubble," he told journalists.

The death count climbed steadily all day as news of casualties filtered in from hard-to-reach areas in the mountains, and the country's supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, warned it would likely rise further.

Earlier, a tribal leader from Paktika said survivors and rescuers were scrambling to help those affected.

"The local markets are closed and all the people have rushed to the affected areas," Yaqub Manzor told AFP by telephone.

Photographs and video clips posted on social media showed scores of badly damaged mud houses in remote rural areas.

Some footage showed local residents loading victims into a military helicopter.

Offers of help

Even before the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan's emergency response teams were stretched to deal with the natural disasters that frequently struck the country.

But with only a handful of airworthy planes and helicopters left since the hardline Islamists returned to power, any immediate response to the latest catastrophe is further limited.

"The government is working within its capabilities," tweeted Anas Haqqani, a senior Taliban official.

"We hope that the International Community & aid agencies will also help our people in this dire situation."

The United Nations and European Union were quick to offer assistance.

"Inter-agency assessment teams have already been deployed to a number of affected areas," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Afghanistan tweeted.

Tomas Niklasson, EU special envoy for Afghanistan, tweeted: "The EU is monitoring the situation and stands ready to coordinate and provide EU emergency assistance to people and communities affected."

Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes -- especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

Scores of people were killed and injured in January when two quakes struck rural areas in the western province of Badghis, damaging hundreds of buildings.

In 2015, more than 380 people were killed in Pakistan and Afghanistan when a 7.5-magnitude earthquake ripped across the two countries, with the bulk of the deaths in Pakistan.

From the Vatican City, Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims of the latest quake.

"I express my closeness with the injured and those who were affected," the 85-year-old pontiff said at the end of his weekly audience.

Aid agencies and the United Nations say Afghanistan needs billions of dollars this year to tackle its ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Aid agencies have particularly stressed the need for greater disaster preparedness in Afghanistan, which remains extremely susceptible to recurring earthquakes, floods and landslides.

The quake was felt as far away as Lahore in Pakistan, 480 kilometres (300 miles) from the epicentre, according to responses posted on the USGS and European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) websites.

NDTV
 
Major said:
Was this earthquake that happened 2 days ago as i felt it in islamabad it was 2-3 sec one
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The quake was felt as far away as Lahore in Pakistan, 480 kilometres (300 miles) from the epicentre, according to responses posted on the USGS and European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) websites.
 
The entire Northwest India, Kashmir, Pakistan and Afghanistan are Earth Quake prone.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Saddened to hear about the earthquake in Afghanistan and the damage it has caused. My heart and prayers goes to all the people in Khost & Paktika. We all should stay united in this hard time and support them as much as we can. <br><br>Humanity has no boundaries. We all are one. &#55358;&#56626;&#55357;&#56911;</p>— Muhammad Rizwan (@iMRizwanPak) <a href="https://twitter.com/iMRizwanPak/status/1539677343370952704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2022</a></blockquote>
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That's awful but something almost inevitable in them regions. Bangladesh and India being ravaged by flooding too
 
These people have been suffering so much for ages. If anyone deserves some good luck it is them. Even nature seems to be against them.
 
KABUL: A deadly 6.1 magnitude earthquake that struck Afghanistan in the early hours of Wednesday morning has killed around a thousand people and left at least 600 injured, disaster management officials said.

Said to be the worst quake in Afghanistan since 2002, the seismic event occurred 44km from Khost, near the border with Pakistan, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).


The tremors from the quake were felt by about 119 million people in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said on Twitter.

The EMSC put the earthquake’s magnitude at 6.1, though the USGS said it was 5.9.

Interior ministry official Salahuddin Ayubi said the death toll was likely to rise “as some of the villages are in remote areas in the mountains and it will take some time to collect details.”

However, images and videos coming out of the country showed houses reduced to rubble and bodies swathed in blankets lying on the ground.

An unknown number of people remained stuck under rubble and in outlying areas, health and aid workers said, while rescue operations were complicated by difficult conditions including heavy rains, landslides and many villages being nestled in inaccessible hillside areas.

“Many people are still buried under the soil. Rescue teams have arrived and with the help of locals are trying to take out the dead and injured,” a health worker at a hospital in the hard-hit Paktika province said.

Disaster experts and humanitarian workers said the impoverished hilly areas struck by the quake were especially vulnerable, with landslides and poorly built houses adding to widespread destruction.

Eyewitness accounts

“We were all sleeping at home... and the room fell over us,” said Gul Faraz as he received treatment for injuries with his wife and children at a hospital in Paktika. Some family members had been killed, he said.

“All the houses in our area were destroyed, not one, but the entire region has been destroyed.” Most of the confirmed deaths were in the eastern province of Paktika, where 255 people were killed and more than 200 injured, Ayubi said. In the province of Khost, 25 were dead and 90 had been taken to hospital.

Adding to the challenge for Afghan authorities is recent flooding in many regions, which has blocked stretches of highway.

Hospitals in rural Afghanistan have come under pressure as well. From her hospital bed in Sharan, the capital of Paktika province, tears stream down Bibi Hawa’s face as she tries to grasp her predicament.

At least a dozen members of her family were among those killed. “Where will I go, where will I go?” the 55-year-old asks repeatedly.

As a nurse tries to calm her down, talking to her gently and caressing her forehead, Bibi sighs: “My heart is weak.”

In the room where Bibi is being treated a dozen other women lie on beds – many asleep, some burrowed beneath blankets, others hooked up to vital fluids.

Shahmira is unhurt, but her one-year-old grandson lies in her lap, a large dressing covering his temple.

On the next bed her daughter-in-law is sleeping off her injuries, while a son is being treated in a different ward.

“We were sleeping when we heard a loud noise,” she says.

“I screamed... I thought my family was buried under the rubble and that I was the only one” still alive.

In an adjacent ward, a dozen men are also recovering on beds. One father holds his son on his lap while nearby, another child lies under a blue blanket. His left arm is also in a cast, while on his forehead a white bandage bears the word “emergency” written in black marker.

“There were cries everywhere. The children and my family were under the mud.” Mohammad Yahya Wiar, director of Sharan Hospital, says they have been doing their best to treat everyone.

When the injured arrived, they “were crying, and we were crying too”, he says.

But locals are rallying to help. In front of the hospital, a hundred men are waiting patiently.

“They have come to give blood – about 300 have already given it since this morning,” explains a Taliban fighter.

Assistance from Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Arif Alvi and the military’s top brass expressed their condolences over the loss of life in the quake and pledged to provide all possible humanitarian assistance to people of Afghanistan.

In line with this commitment, a convoy of trucks carrying relief assistance left for Khost on Wednesday night. The relief consignment includes tents, covers, blankets and medicines, which would be handed over to Afghan authorities.

The convoy of trucks carrying relief aid would reach Khost via the Ghulam Khan border.

In a statement, the Foreign Office said the people of Pakistan stood in solidarity with their Afghan brethren in this difficult time. “We have no doubt that the brotherly Afghan people will overcome the effects of this natural calamity with their characteristic resilience,” it said.

The FO said Pakistani authorities and institutions were working to extend required assistance to Afghanistan in coordination with their relevant institutions.

International assistance

After an Afghan foreign ministry spokesman said the Taliban would welcome international help, US President Joe Biden has directed Usaid and other federal government entities to assess how they can respond.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the United Nations was fully mobilised, assessing needs and providing initial support.

But according to Ramiz Alakbarov, the deputy UN envoy in Afghanistan, the United Nations does not have search and rescue capabilities in Afghanistan and Turkey is “best positioned” to provide such support.

At the UN, Pakistan urged the international community not to link assistance for the disaster-hit nation with political concerns.

“The humanitarian assistance should not become a victim of geopolitics. UN’s humanitarian principles, including the principles of neutrality and impartiality must be upheld,” said Ambassador Munir Akram at a Tuesday night meeting on humanitarian assistance in New York.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2022
 
The Taliban in Afghanistan have appealed for international support, as the country deals with the aftermath of a devastating 6.1 magnitude earthquake.

More than 1,000 people have been killed and at least 1,500 injured. Unknown numbers are buried in the rubble of ruined, often mud-built homes.

South eastern Paktika province has been worst-hit and the UN is scrambling to provide emergency shelter and food aid.

Rescue efforts are being hampered by heavy rain and lack of resources.

Survivors and rescuers have told the BBC of villages completely destroyed near the epicentre of the quake, of ruined roads and mobile phone towers - and of their fears that the death toll will rise further.

The deadliest earthquake to strike the country in two decades is a major challenge for the Taliban, the Islamist movement which regained power last year after the Western-backed government collapsed.

The earthquake struck about 44km (27 miles) from the city of Khost and tremors were felt as far away as Pakistan and India.

Afghanistan is in the midst of a humanitarian and economic crisis, and Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a senior Taliban official, said the government was "financially unable to assist the people to the extent that is needed".

Aid agencies, neighbouring countries and world powers were helping, he said, but added: "The assistance needs to be scaled up to a very large extent because this is a devastating earthquake which hasn't been experienced in decades."

The head of the United Nations, António Guterres said the agency had "fully mobilized" over the disaster. Health teams, medical supplies, food, and emergency shelters were en route to the quake zone, UN officials said.

BBC
 
Taliban’s isolation hampers Afghan quake response

KABUL: A devastating earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, which killed at least 1,000 people and flattened homes in remote villages close to the Pakistani border, poses the biggest challenge yet for the Taliban since they seized power nearly a year ago.

The hardline group is governing an impoverished country beset by severe drought, widespread hunger and economic crisis and where the effects of decades of conflict are still keenly felt.

Now the earthquake risks exposing the limitations of an administration largely isolated from the outside world and desperately short of cash and resources.

While humanitarian assistance continues to flow, aid needed for longer-term development in Afghanistan was halted when the Taliban stormed Kabul last August. Further angering the Taliban, billions of dollars in Afghan reserves also remain frozen overseas as the West pushes for concessions on human rights, particularly for girls and women.

Shehbaz expresses solidarity with Akhund

“The sanctions imposed after the Taliban takeover ... and the economic collapse will make it incredibly difficult to respond with necessary medical and food aid, and to support reconstruction,” said Ashley Jackson, co-director of the Centre on Armed Groups and an expert on the relationship between the Taliban and civilians.

So far, a handful of ageing helicopters have been flying to and from some of the worst-affected areas, carrying the injured out and ferrying in supplies of food and medicine.

“The question is, will this disaster make the international community question the harmful costs that its policies are having on ordinary Afghans?” said Jackson.

Adnan Junaid, International Rescue Committee’s vice president for Asia, added: “The international community must ... establish a roadmap that sets out strategies to resume development assistance, provide technical support to the central bank, and ultimately release Afghanistan’s foreign exchange reserves.”

The Taliban have appealed to the international community and several countries have promised humanitarian aid, some of which is already arriving. International aid agencies are also providing support on the ground.

Technical assistance, however, including specialist search and rescue teams that could fly in quickly from overseas, had yet to be deployed as of Thursday.

According to two UN officials and a Pakistani source speaking on Wednesday, teams from Turkey and Pakistan were on standby.

Syed Irfan Raza adds from Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday telephoned acting Prime Minister of the interim government of Afghanistan, Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund, and conveyed Pakistan’s solidarity with the Afghan people in the wake of the devastating earthquake.

According to the Prime Minister Office, Mr Sharif offered prayers for the departed souls and wished speedy recovery to the injured.

He also shared with Mullah Akhund details of the relief efforts mounted by Pakistan to provide emergency assistance to Afghanistan, including the dispatch of emergency medicine, tents, tarpaulins, and blankets.

He said the border crossing points of Ghulam Khan and Angoor Adda had been opened for the transportation of seriously injured Afghans to Pakistani hospitals for treatment.

The PM also highlighted the measures taken by Pakistan to facilitate trade and the movement of people through effective border management. He said Pakistan was committed to strengthening bilateral ties to promote the cause of peace, progress and prosperity.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1696426/talibans-isolation-hampers-afghan-quake-response
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I’m supporting <a href="https://twitter.com/rashidkhan_19?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rashidkhan_19</a>’s campaign to provide relief to earthquake victims in Afghanistan. <br><br>Donate now at <a href="https://t.co/VMNVyLhheh">https://t.co/VMNVyLhheh</a><br><br>I nominate: <a href="https://twitter.com/wasimakramlive?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wasimakramlive</a> , <a href="https://twitter.com/waqyounis99?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@waqyounis99</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/shoaib100mph?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@shoaib100mph</a> <br><br>Please donate and share. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BackEvenStronger?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BackEvenStronger</a> <a href="https://t.co/V2vtdEsejJ">pic.twitter.com/V2vtdEsejJ</a></p>— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/SAfridiOfficial/status/1540215452701523968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani on Friday thanked Pakistan, UAE, India and other friendly countries and aid organisations for helping the people of Afghanistan hit by the recent deadly earthquake.

In an official statement, the interim government’s interior minister said earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and other natural disasters are a test from the Almighty.

“We too are enduring this ordeal like the other hardships in the past. We are patient and stand with our people. We will always remember those who gave us their helping hand in the difficult time.”

Haqqani also thanked the humanitarian organisations and philanthropists “from the bottom of our heart who have helped the earthquake victims in Paktika and Khost provinces and sent messages of condolences”.

“We pray for such a safe and secure world in which all the people live in relief and dignity,” the statement quoted him as saying.

Afghanistan lacks the medical supplies to treat those injured in an earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people this week, a senior official said, as an aftershock on Friday killed five more.

Authorities earlier ended a search in remote southeastern mountains for survivors of the 6.1 magnitude earthquake that struck early on Wednesday near the Pakistani border, about 160km southeast of Kabul, the capital.

Also read: Afghanistan seeks emergency medical supplies for earthquake survivors

About 2,000 people were injured and 10,000 homes partially or entirely destroyed in Wednesday's earthquake, Mohammad Nassim Haqqani, a spokesperson for Afghanistan's disaster ministry, told Reuters.

The disaster is a major test for the country’s rulers, who have been largely isolated, shunned by many because of concerns over human rights and cut off from much direct international assistance because of sanctions.

On Thursday, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates all said they planned to send aid. Supplies from Pakistan have already crossed the border.

India, which has strained ties with the Taliban, said it had sent 27 tonnes of supplies on two flights to be handed to international aid agencies.

The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, has rushed tonnes of supplies and expert staff to support the relief effort.

Express Tribune
 
Afghanistan earthquake: Hundreds feared dead after magnitude 6 quake

A magnitude 6 earthquake shook Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar at about midnight on Monday (19:30 GMT, Sunday).

News agencies cited Afghanistan’s Information Ministry as saying that more than 250 people were killed and 500 were injured.

The USGS said the earthquake was centred 27km (17 miles) east of Jalalabad city in Nangarhar province at a depth of 8km (5 miles).
A short while later, another magnitude 4.5 tremor occurred near Basawul in Nangarhar.

In October 2023, an earthquake struck western Afghanistan, killing at least 2,400 people.
Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for the Health Ministry said: “Rescue operations are still underway and several villages have been completely destroyed”.

“The figures for martyrs and injured are changing. Medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar and the capital Kabul have arrived in the area,” he said, adding that many areas had not been able to report casualties figures and that “the numbers were expected to change” as death and injuries are reported.

Source: Al Jazeera
 
Ball Blazer said:
Afghanistan earthquake: Hundreds feared dead after magnitude 6 quake

A magnitude 6 earthquake shook Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar at about midnight on Monday (19:30 GMT, Sunday).

News agencies cited Afghanistan’s Information Ministry as saying that more than 250 people were killed and 500 were injured.

The USGS said the earthquake was centred 27km (17 miles) east of Jalalabad city in Nangarhar province at a depth of 8km (5 miles).
A short while later, another magnitude 4.5 tremor occurred near Basawul in Nangarhar.

In October 2023, an earthquake struck western Afghanistan, killing at least 2,400 people.
Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for the Health Ministry said: “Rescue operations are still underway and several villages have been completely destroyed”.

“The figures for martyrs and injured are changing. Medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar and the capital Kabul have arrived in the area,” he said, adding that many areas had not been able to report casualties figures and that “the numbers were expected to change” as death and injuries are reported.

Source: Al Jazeera
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Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilaihi Rajiuun. Prayers for the families of the deceased as well, may Allah give them peace and ease, Ameen
 
Prayers with our dearest brothers and sisters in Afghanistan. No matter what we will always stand with them.
 
Afghanistan earthquake update

At least 800 people have been killed and 2,500 injured after an earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan.
 

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Ball Blazer said:
Afghanistan earthquake update

At least 800 people have been killed and 2,500 injured after an earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan.
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China, India, Turkiye, and Azerbaijan send condolences​

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson in Beijing says China “mourns for the lives lost in the earthquake in Afghanistan and our hearts go out to the bereaved families and the injured. We believe that under the leadership of the Afghan government, the Afghan people will recover and rebuild from the disaster. China will provide help in light of Afghanistan’s needs.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he is “deeply saddened by the loss of lives” and wishes a “speedy recovery” to those wounded. “India stands ready to provide all possible humanitarian aid and relief to those affected,” he said in a post on X.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry also expressed “heartfelt condolences” to the victims. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Afghanistan during this difficult time,” the ministry said on X.

Turkiye’s embassy in Kabul extended “condolences to the brotherly Afghan people” and said it would closely follow developments.
 
Anyone know of any reliable charity organizations for this and floods in Pak? @The Bald Eagle @DeadlyVenom @LordJames

Was just going to use baitulmaal.org, but if there’s anything more reliable let me know… I tend to trust UK-Muslim based charity organizations more for this sort of stuff than others
 
Suleiman said:
Anyone know of any reliable charity organizations for this and floods in Pak? @The Bald Eagle @DeadlyVenom @LordJames

Was just going to use baitulmaal.org, but if there’s anything more reliable let me know… I tend to trust UK-Muslim based charity organizations more for this sort of stuff than others
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Found a few more:


www.savethechildren.org.uk

Afghanistan Earthquake Crisis - Donate to help children everywhere

Your generous donation can provide children and families with life-saving essentials.
www.savethechildren.org.uk www.savethechildren.org.uk
 
Suleiman said:
Anyone know of any reliable charity organizations for this and floods in Pak? @The Bald Eagle @DeadlyVenom @LordJames

Was just going to use baitulmaal.org, but if there’s anything more reliable let me know… I tend to trust UK-Muslim based charity organizations more for this sort of stuff than others
Click to expand...
Option 1 is if your masjid has some reliable way through their own links to send money.

Option 2 which is a good option too is Islamic Relief as @sweep_shot has mentioned and Usman Welfare Trust is reliable too
 
Suleiman said:
Will check it out thanks bro

Want to do my best to ensure that most of the percentage goes to the victims… a lot of misleading charities that use 40% or more for “operational costs”
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You are welcome.

We should try to help as much as we can.

Yes. Some of the charities seem dodgy. I personally stick to a few well-reputable ones.
 
Aerial search for survivors after Afghan quake kills 800 people

Rescuers are using helicopters to search for survivors in the ruins of remote villages in eastern Afghanistan after a powerful earthquake killed 800 people and injured 1,800 others.

Many are feared trapped under the rubble of their homes after the magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck on Sunday near the country's border with Pakistan.

Authorities searched by air for the second day on Tuesday as roads blocked with debris and the mountainous terrain in the affected areas made land travel difficult.

The Taliban government has appealed for international help. The United Nations has released emergency funds, while the UK has pledged £1m ($1.3m) in aid.

Sunday's earthquake was one of the strongest to hit Afghanistan in recent years. The country is very prone to earthquakes because it is located on top of a number of fault lines where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

There were 90 helicopter flights on Monday to airlift survivors out of remote villages in Kunar province.

The terrain was so rough in one part of the Mazar valley that one helicopter failed to land after three attempts, one Taliban source said.

Survivors have been brought to a hospital in Jalalabad, which was being overwhelmed with hundreds of patients a day even before the disaster.

Mir Zaman told the BBC that he pulled his dead children out of the rubble by himself.

"It was dark. There was no light. Someone lent me a lamp, and then I used a shovel and pick axe to dig them out. There was no one to help because everyone was affected. So many people died in my village. Some are still buried. Whole families have died," he said.

Two-and-a-half-year-old Maiwand suffered head injuries and blood loss.

"You can see his situation. It's so tragic. The earthquake was deadly. I want the doctors to treat him, to cure him," said the child's uncle, Khawat Gul.

At Jalalabad's Nangrahar Regional Hospital, earthquake survivor Nader Khan broke down as he recalled how he lost two sons and two daughters-in-law to the earthquake.

Khan, who is in his 60s, said he was able to save to grandchildren but now he does not know where they are.

"I injured my head and spine, so I couldn't move to save them... I don't know what has happened to the bodies of my sons," he told the BBC.

The most recent earthquake hit Afghanistan when it is reeling under severe drought and what the UN calls an unprecedented crisis of hunger.

The country has also experienced massive aid cuts especially from the US this year which is further reducing the aid that many of these people could have got. This disaster couldn't have come at a worse time.

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy said aid from the UK will be "channelled through experienced partners", the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Red Cross.

India delivered 1,000 tents to Kabul, its foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar wrote on X after speaking to his Taliban counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi.

The Indian mission is also helping to move 15 tonnes of food from Kabul to Kunar province, which has been badly hit by the earthquake, he said, adding that India would send more relief items.

China and Switzerland have also pledged support.

Survivors will need housing, shelter and blankets, said Amy Martin, who leads the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan.

www.bbc.com

Afghanistan: Helicopters search for survivors as earthquake kills more than 800 people

Rescuers are hampered by mountainous terrain and roads strewn with debris.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 

Afghan earthquake death toll crosses 1,400, authorities say​


The death toll from Afghanistan's worst earthquake in years jumped to over 1,400 on Tuesday with thousands more injured, authorities said, as difficult terrain hindered rescue efforts in isolated villages of the country's mountainous eastern region.

At least 1,411 people have died, 3,124 have been injured and over 5,400 houses have been destroyed, Taliban administration spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said.

More people are feared trapped under rubble, said the Afghan Red Crescent Society, a humanitarian group working in the region. The U.N. coordinator in Afghanistan said the toll was likely to rise.

Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

The earthquake, with a magnitude of 6, struck around midnight local time on Monday, at a shallow depth of 10 km (6 miles), with the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar being the worst hit.

Rescue operations were carried out in four badly hit villages in Kunar on Monday and efforts will now be focused on reaching more remote mountain areas, said Ehsanullah Ehsan, the provincial head of disaster management.

"We cannot accurately predict how many bodies might still be trapped under the rubble," said Ehsan. "Our effort is to complete these operations as soon as possible and to begin distributing aid to the affected families."

Mountainous terrain and inclement weather have hindered rescuers reaching remote areas along the Pakistani border where the quake flattened hundreds of mud-and-brick homes.

Access for vehicles along narrow mountain roads was the main obstacle, said Ehsan, adding machinery was being brought in to clear roads of debris.

On Tuesday, a line of ambulances was on the damaged mountain road trying to reach Kunar villages, as helicopters flew in, bringing aid supplies and taking the injured to hospitals, according to a Reuters witness.

www.reuters.com

Afghan earthquake death toll crosses 1,400, authorities say

The death toll from Afghanistan's worst earthquake in years jumped to over 1,400 on Tuesday with thousands more injured, authorities said, as difficult terrain hindered rescue efforts in isolated villages of the country's mountainous eastern region.
www.reuters.com www.reuters.com
 
This news is truly heart wrenching. RIP to the victims.

May Afghanistan recover quickly from this Calamity
 
إِنَّا لِلَّـهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

May Allah Ta'ala help our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan and also in Pakistan (Ameen).
 
Pakistan dispatches 105 tonnes of humanitarian aid for quake struck Afghanistan

Pakistan on Wednesday dispatched 105 tonnes of humanitarian aid for quake-struck Afghanistan, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

The earthquake killed a total of 1,469 people and injured more than 3,700, according to a new toll from Taliban authorities, making it one of the deadliest in decades to hit the impoverished country, according to AFP.

The vast majority of the casualties — more than 1,450 — were in Kunar province, with a dozen dead and hundreds hurt in nearby Nangarhar and Laghman provinces.


www.dawn.com

Pakistan dispatches 105 tonnes of humanitarian aid for quake struck Afghanistan

Afghanistan airdrops commandos to pull survivors from rubble as UN agency warns that food aid would run out soon without funding.
www.dawn.com
 
Third quake strikes Afghanistan as deaths rise

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Afghanistan's remote south-eastern region on Thursday night, the third quake in six days, as the death toll from the first continued to rise.

The shallow quake hit at 20:56 local time (15:36 GMT) and sent people in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces scampering out of shelters in fear.

There was no immediate official report of casualties from Thursday night's earthquake, but medics on the ground told the BBC that 17 wounded people were brought to Kunar Provincial Hospital.

Sunday's quake has killed 1,368 people and wounded 2,180 others, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OHCA) said, citing reports from 25 villages.

The region's rough and mountainous terrain continues to hamper rescue and disaster relief operations, the government said.

A second earthquake of magnitude 5.5 on Tuesday temporarily halted rescue operations, which have mostly been conducted by helicopters as debris from landslides cuts off access to remote villages.

There have also been a steady stream of aftershocks.

"Rescue and search efforts are still ongoing, tents have been set up for people in various areas, and the delivery of first aid and emergency supplies is ongoing," Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Taliban government, said on X.

The Taliban government - which is only recognised by Russia - has appealed for international help. The UN has released emergency funds, while the UK has pledged £1m ($1.3m) in aid.

Afghanistan is very prone to earthquakes because of its location on top of a number of fault lines where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

In 2023, more than 1,400 people died after a series of 6.3-magnitude earthquakes hit western Afghanistan, near the city of Herat.

The year before that, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, killing at least 1,000 people and injuring another 3,000.

BBC
 
KP sends relief goods for Afghan earthquake victims, announces more aid

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has dispatched a major convoy of relief goods and announced a fresh package of aid for the victims of the recent devastating earthquake in Afghanistan.

The decision about aid was taken during a meeting of the provincial cabinet here on Friday with Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur in the chair.

“It is our humanitarian and moral duty to assist our Afghan brothers and sisters in this difficult time,” the chief minister said.

He said the provincial government had already sent 35 trucks with essential supplies to the affected Afghan regions.

Recognising the urgent needs on the ground, the chief minister announced further support.

Cabinet shows solidarity with Afghanistan

“Taking into account the urgent need for tents and medical supplies, we will dispatch an additional 1,000 tents and necessary medical equipment,” he said.

Mr Gandapur said the aid package also included food supplies and a commitment to offer complete care to the injured.

The cabinet meeting began with a prayer (Fateha) for those who lost their lives to the Afghan earthquake, as well as for Pakistani security personnel martyred in recent terrorist attacks across the province.

Addressing other agenda items, the chief minister also praised the timely rescue and relief operations in the flood-hit areas of the province and said financial aid was distributed to victims in record time.

CM VISITS AFGHAN CONSULATE: Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur visited the Afghan consulate here to express condolences over the loss of lives and property to the recent earthquake in Afghanistan.

Afghan Consul General Hafiz Mohibullah Shakir warmly received the CM on arrival, according to a statement from the Chief Minister’s House.

Chief secretary Shahab Ali Shah accompanied the chief minister, who offered prayers for disaster victims and wrote remarks of condolences in the guestbook.

He said the government and people of KP stood shoulder to shoulder with their Afghan brothers and sisters in the current time of grief.

At the request of the Afghan consul general, Mr Gandapur ordered the dispatch of 1,000 more tents and medicines for the affected families.

He also said that Afghan nationals receiving medical treatment in Peshawar should be provided with all possible healthcare.

The Afghan consul general expressed gratitude to the CM and the provincial government for their timely support and assistance to the earthquake victims.

Meanwhile, Speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Babar Saleem Swati on Friday visited the Afghan consulate here and extended condolences to consul general Mohibullah Shakir over the losses of human lives in the recent earthquake.

He also prayed for the deceased and their bereaved families.

“Pakistan and Afghanistan are not only neighbours but they’re bound by ties of faith, culture and brotherhood as well. The KP Assembly stands with Afghan people in this hour of grief,” he said.

DAWN NEWS
 
Afghanistan seem to have frequent earthquakes.

May Afghanistan recover strongly from this calamity.
 
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